Charlie Cook's Favourite Book - from picture book to musical

Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is many stories in one. Charlie loves reading. Especially books about pirates. But his sister hates it – it’s boring! Can Charlie convince her that reading is fun? Perhaps if she read a book about a pirate, who is reading a book about Goldilocks, who is reading a book about a knight…

This layered tale, which takes youngsters on a journey through many books within a book, has been given another dimension as the story takes to the stage as a new musical adaptation for the first time this summer.

Co-produced by The Lowry, Little Angel Theatre, and Rose Theatre the show reunites adaptors Barb Jungr and Samantha Lane (who also directs) following their celebrated collaboration on the Olivier-nominated The Smartest Giant in Town, also written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

We met up with director Samantha Lane to find out what to expect:

Little Angel Theatre opened in Islington in 1961 as a theatre designed for children and for the presentation of marionette shows. For 60+ years Little Angel Theatre has presented a succession of innovative and highly acclaimed shows. What can audiences expect from the puppetry in Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book?

Samantha: “The puppetry in the show is a real highlight of the production. Because the show focuses on the joy of reading, we wanted to explore how the puppets could come from books. The puppet designer, Maia Kirkman-Richards, has created fantastic puppets that simultaneously reflect Axel Scheffler’s fantastic illustrations, but also appear from books in really innovative and magical ways”.

For many children coming to see Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book at The Lowry this summer it will be their first experience of going to the theatre. What do you enjoy about making shows for young audiences?

Samantha: “I love making work for young audiences. There isn’t a more honest audience out there – if they like the work, they let you know. But equally, they can be your harshest critics as they’ll let you know if they don’t. I have dedicated my entire career to working with children and young people – both in a participatory context, and through making work for them. I love it because it allows me to enrich their lives, foster learning, empathy, and creativity, and create memorable experiences that have a lasting impact”.

Music plays a huge part in Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book. What can you tell us about that?

Samantha: “This is a musical adaptation of the picture book where each story in the book is explored through song, as well as games and puppetry. The songs really help to give each of the individual stories life – extending them beyond the few lines of text in the book itself. For example, we see why the pirate’s ship sinks, and we watch how the thief steals the King’s crown and the chase that unfolds. Barb Jungr’s music and lyrics are incredible – and really bring life to all of the stories within the book”.

This adaption of Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book follows the Olivier-nominated The Smartest Giant in Town, also written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. What do you think it is about Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s books that make them translate so well from page to stage?

Samantha: “I think that Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s books translate beautifully from page to stage because they are great, engaging stories with memorable characters, rich visuals and clear, strong themes.

“Donaldson’s rhythmic, rhyming text and simple but dynamic narratives lend themselves perfectly to music and puppetry, and are easy for young audiences to follow. Equally, the distinctive and relatable characters, brought to life by Scheffler’s vibrant illustrations, provide such a rich visual palette for a stage adaptation.

“Ultimately, these are the stories that parents and children curl up to read together at bedtime. They are firm family favourites and can be found on the bookshelves in millions of homes across the UK – and so children and adults love nothing more than seeing their favourite books brought to life on stage”.

Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book celebrates the joy of reading. How do you hope it will inspire the next generation of readers?

Samantha: “Ultimately, I hope that the show will promote a love of reading. I know from my own children that reading doesn’t always come naturally and some children are reluctant readers for many reasons. And through this production, we wanted to show that there are other ways of enjoying books. Specifically, we look at play as an approach to reading; but the great thing about picture books is that they combine words with beautiful illustrations – and these may also provide a route into exploring text for young children”.